PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

"We're all the same fucking thing!" :o)

September 3, 2013

The following are questions raised in an Ethnicity Class at College of the Siskiyous.

Answer the following 2 questions. Please use the textbook as a resource in doing so and elaborate on your answers.1. The textbook outlines several psychological and sociological explanations why prejudice and discrimination exists in society. Evaluate both sets of arguments considering the former focuses on the individual and the latter on society is it possible to minimize the impact of both in society? If so, how, if not, why not?It is absolutely possible to not only minimize the impact of prejudice in society and discrimination on an individual. It is so simple that the odds are against it because the mind (people) does(do) not like simplicity (so that would be the first step … begin to welcome simplicity). Once simplicity is welcomed, then all one need do is let go of categorization. Take everyone … every one … out of the boxes “you” have put them in. Then leave them out of the boxes. No more race, no more gender, no more nationality, no more. Begin to see everyone naked of themselves … of the personality … of the identity. Then when someone comes to you wearing the “clothes of personality” (the beliefs that they are their religion, their country, their ethnicity, their gender, their sexuality) you see them “naked” of all that ... but wearing it as “clothes.” As you begin to do this you begin to see that people are not who they say they are and who they actually are “naked” of the stories of themselves … leaves absolutely nothing to judge or discriminate against. It really is that simple. Ghosts wearing the clothing of identity is all one actually is. Very few wish to discover this ... but it is the answer to all of life’s seeming “problems.” Simply don’t believe what you think about another or if you must believe it, know that it is a lie, that who they actually Are, is not definable, just like you.2. Given the chapter discussion on prejudice and discrimination, what role do you think a) the media or b) ethnic humor plays in combating or reinforcing stereotypes? Define your medium (TV, magazines, movies, video games, etc.) and provide examples to illustrate.Have a friend on Facebook that is a comedian … met him at a comedy show. He is constantly talking on his page about race and how he is discriminated against and how hard it is for people of color and puts up all kinds of stories that validate his claim. However…he is the one that constantly attempts to make me believe that he is a “black man that suffers and is held back by the world and all people of color are too” but since there is awareness that he is not his color … not even his body. And that everything he says is just to make a “problem” but that he doesn’t actually have one ... because he is a funny ass comedian, he has a beautiful wife and child, he lives in a good neighborhood and makes a good salary. But he doesn’t see that ... he lies (unknowingly) about his situation just to have a “problem” he doesn’t actually have … maybe he just wants one ... just wants something to bitch about. Most people believe it or not ... want “problems.” If you didn’t have a problem…what would you do? What would you think about? But you don’t actually have problems, you just create them. Bet if you are honest and look around you ... not what you are "thinking" about but just look around you ... there aren't many problems ... you might be thinking there are but in actuality ... it is only the thinking there are that is there ... not an actual problem.For the additional 10 points, EITHER write a response to two separate answers posted by others OR answer all three questions below.1. “Identify one important concept, research finding, theory, or idea … that you learned while completing this week’s module.”Research finding … yesterday was reading in our book that it is estimated the average person watches 7 hours of television a day. A day!!! Really? Had to read it two or three times before it clicked it probably wasn’t a typo that it wasn’t a week or a month but a day!!! Don’t even sleep that long. Who in world has that much time to watch television and not just who ... but a majority of the people in the world do? Can make a problem out of nothing ... watch this ... Prior to reading this there was not a care in the world who was watching television (have one but it doesn’t work and haven’t even tried to get it to work in the year of living here), but now there was concern … are kids watching that much tv? And if one wanted to ... could go out and save the world from television ... become an anti-television activist. If you want a problem it’s easy to create one, but for those that are sick of problems … like this one was/is ... about 15 years ago ... when too much TV had watched ... so much awful (negative) television ... where just about nothing good in the world was ever seen and there was something bad that was going to happen right around the corner all the time ... something inside ... shifted from that way of living and being ... and shut the TV down. It was gradual and my children weren’t always happy about it, but life dramatically changed without television ... in the best of ways and it is not to make television bad ... it's not that you should go and throw yours away (unless you do) ... just begin to pay attention to what you are feeding the mind with ... is it garbage? Are you creating the monster in you ... that you are afraid is out there?

Less is more.

It really is but you don't get to know that until you begin to have less. :o)Don’t currently live in a world of fear (though hear about it from people that watch television). Live in a world where currently right this minute the sun is shining. There is a gentle breeze coming in the kitchen window and there are sounds of vehicles passing by, the alarm on my phone is going off to remind me to do math. It is a very simple life. Yes it could change in any moment, but don’t have as many deeply ingrained fears of the world telling me that it will. Only have the experience of how it actually is ... when taking a moment to "stop" and be honest about what is actually going on ... not what is *thought* about what might or might not be going on.2. “Why do you believe that this concept, research finding, theory, or idea … is important?”Because if it is actually true, then it’s no wonder people feel so separate from one another and afraid of what might be “out there” when they are constantly feeding themselves misinformation.3. “What question(s) has the activity raised for you? What are you still wondering about?” A one-word answer is not acceptable.Well ... not actually wondering about anything … wait ... maybe I am wondering if anyone will read this and begin to stop watching so much television or at least start to pay attention to what they are watching and why they are watching it. Are they creating problems that don't actually exist? Maybe someone will read this and begin to dig a bit deeper into who they are, what they do, why they might be doing it. Mabye begin to question more and accept less answers as true ... begin checking in with theirSelf to see if it rings true for them and if so, why do they choose to believe whatever it is they have discovered.

Guess there were a few questions being wondered about.

"The greatest barrier to discovery is not ignorance ... it is the illusion of knowledge.